Those who do not pay invoices on time are better protected from now on

This concerns additional administrative costs for a reminder invoice. But also because of the much higher amounts charged by bailiffs, lawyers and collection agencies. These sometimes make the original invoice up to five times more expensive. Three years ago, Vooruit MP Melissa Depraetere from Harelbeke already put a bill on the table. In practice, for amounts up to 150 euros, only a maximum of 20 euros may be added to the original invoice.

Melissa Depraetere: “For example, someone does not pay their telecom bill, is charged an extra fee very quickly. We don’t think that’s OK. So a first reminder is free. It can always happen that someone does not see the invoice. After that, we also give two weeks the time to pay the invoice, so that people who have a harder time paying can schedule it. And on top of that, we limit the costs that can be added. So a few tens of euros that become hundreds, that’s what we’re tackling.”